Power-transmission gearing.



V. G. APPLE.

POWER TRANSMISSION GEARING.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 15, 1911.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

V. G. APPLE. POWER TRANSMISSION GEARING. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1911.

1,040,604, Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

VINCENT G. APPLE, 0F DAYTON, OHIO.

POWER-TRANSMISSION GEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8,1912.

Application filed June 15, 1911. Serial No. 633,234.

To all whorl: it may concern:

Be it known that I, VINCENT G. APPLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power-Transmission Gearing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to power transmission gearing.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a power transmission gearing for intervention between two power translating instrumentalities, whereby, one of said instrumentalities may thereby drive the other at a given speed relation and by a simple change in the coupling of said gearing, automatically accomplished, or-otherwise, the driven instrumentality, in the first example, is made capable of driving the former instrumentality at a different speed relation.

My systeniof gearing is especially applicable, and advantageous, for transmitting power from an internal combustion engine to a dynamo electric machine and vice versa. It is capable of change of performance respectively suitable for these inter-dependent and associated devices.

As illustrative of the value of my forln of gearing, it may be stated that automobile practice offers an especially advantageous situation wherein it may be used with resulting advantage and convenience.

Automobile structures usually include internal combustion, propelling,vengin'es, that must be, initially, set in motion, or started, by some extraneous power, and usually associated with such an engine, is a dynamo electric machine and storage batteries, for ,furnishing electric current to be used for various purposes in and about such vehicles, such as, for instance providing means for producing the sparks for ignition; furnishing current for electric lamps; blowing or operating signal. bells and horns, etc. In such installations the engine drives the dynamo, which charges the battery and these devices cooperatively or separately supply electric current for the various uses. dynamo, of. the type usually found associated with such engines and batteries, will operate as a power motor, when furnished with current from the battery, and it will rotate, in the same direction, as the motor as it is rotated when producing current as 'a generator and it is this dual function of the dynamo, through the operation, and by the association, of my improved gearing that I utilize to initially start the engine and subsequently, as a result of the peculiar characteristics of my gearing adapt the dynamo to be driven by the engine as a generator.

The change of the dynamo, operating as a motor for driving the engine, to a condi tion wherein the engine drives the dynamo as a generator, may be effected automatically or by hand manipulation as may be desired, the change being so harmonious as to be without interruption of the functions of either of the translating devices in the performance of their respective service.

In the eXemplificat-ion illustrated, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved gearing, showing the dynamo electric machine and the engine shaft connected thereby. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a section taken on line of Fig. 2. Fig. l

is an end view looking toward the left in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged central sectional view of the driving sprocket on the dynamo shaft.

In all the views the same reference char acters indicate similar parts.

The shaft of an internal combustionengine, is represented by 10. The operation and characteristics of such engines is so generally known that I have'deemed it unnecessary to show more than the main shaft thereof with conventional bearings 11 and 12. The usual fly wheel 13 is secured to the shaft 10 and in association with the said fly wheel is a gear wheel M, which may be connected to the fly wheel, or may be an integral part thereof. To the out board end of the shaft 10 is a sprocket wheel 15.

17 is a dynamo electric machine, adapted to be driven by the engine, for furnishing electric current, for purposes heretofore stated.

Loosely mounted on the shaft, 18, of the dynamo electric machine, is a ball bearing sprocket wheel 19 provided on its outer face with a clutch member, consisting of projecting pins or studs 20-21. An associated clutch member 23, grooved as at 24, is provided with co-acting, projecting, clutch pins, or lugs, 25 and 26. To the opposite end of the clutch 23 is secured a pinion 27, which, if desired may be made an integral part of the clutch. It is adapted to mesh, for driving association with the gear wheel 14. The clutch member 23 is capable of longitudinal movement on the shaft 18, but is in positive rotatable relation therewith, by means of the key 28.

With the parts in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and '2, if the dynamo shaft 18 be rotated, the pinion 27 will drive the gear I wheel l'4 with which it is in mesh, and the engagement with the gear wheel 14, the

ear wheel 14 will rotate the shaft 10. At t is time there is no driving relation between the shaft 19 and shaft l8 by way of I the sprocket wheel 19 which, as heretofore; explained, is loose on the shaft 18, and can i be connected thereto only when its clutch pins 20 and 21 are in driving relation'with corresponding members and 26 of the clutch 23. When the pinion 27 is in meshed clutch members, just mentioned, are in sepaj rated relation. Now if the clutch member' 23 be shifted on the shaft 18, until the memhers 25 and 26 thereof make driving connections with corresponding members 20 and 21, then the Wheel 27 will have been moved so? far to the left as to no longer make driving? purpose of starting the engine the pinion is placed in mesh wlth the gear wheel 14,

connections with the gear wheel 14. It may;

be stopped in mid position and not makei engagement with either the clutch member 5 orthe gear wheel if desired.

By sliding the clutch member 23, on the] shaft, 18, for changing the driving relari tions between the shafts l0 and 18, I pro-i vide a bifurcated, pivoted, lever 30, pivoted! as at 31, and provided with projecting pins;

or lugs 32 and 33 that engage in the annulara groove 24 of the clutch member 23, and,

therefore when the end of the pivoted lever;

30', 'is moved, laterally, the clutch member,

-23 will be thereby slid'up'on the shaft l8, andcause the pins 35 and 36 to engage corresponding pins'20 and 21 of the sprocket "wheel 19 and at the same time cause disengagement' of the pinion, 27, and the gear wheel 14, and when moved in'the OPPOSltG,

direction cause the reengagement of the pinion 27 and'the gear wheel 14 and the disengagement of the pins.

11 starting a gas englne 1t,1s only neces-l sary that the shaft shall be rotated at a relatively slow 'speed'and, therefore, it willj be ob s'erved,"from the proportions of the pinion 27 and' the gear wheel 14, that the shaft, 18, must make a number of revolutions, probably eight or ten before the shaft 10- is rotated one revolution, and that in the gearing arrangement for driving the dynamo direct, through the instrumentality'of the clutch members, heretofore referred to, the difference in number of revolutions of' the shafts 18Iand 10 is much less.

-' In the operation of the device, for the as 'shown'in Figs. 1 and 2, and the dynamo 17 is connected with the storage battery so that it thereby becomes a motor and rotates the shaft 18 at a relatively high speed compared with the shaft 10. The shaft 10 is thus rotated until the engine begins to become self operated, when the speed of the shaft, 10, will thereby become accelerated the clutch member 23 may be moved,

along theshaft 18, until pinion 27 and gear wheel 14 are disengaged and the clutch member 23 makes engagement with the clutch member of the sprocket .wheel 19, thereby directly connecting the shaft 18 with said sprocket Wheel 19 and establishing a relation where the shaft, 10, now drives the dynamo. Thus, it will be seen that in the first instance of the example, the dynamo was operated as a motor and drove the shaft 10 until the engine associated with shaft 10 became self operated, and that when the clutch members are shifted, the engine becomes the driving instrumentality and drives the dynamo, as a generator, for the purpose of producing current to be used in connection with the engine and other parts of the vehicle. transposition of the gearing mechanism should properly take place at a predetermined velocity of the engine shaft, or, at

shaft, 35, and abuts against the collar 40,

which is secured to the said shaft, and also againstthesliding collar'37 as at 41." The spring, 39, normally holds the parts in positions shown in Fi 1 and 2, wherein the pinion, 27, isin mes With the engine wheel and this condition continuously eXists 'during'the time when the engine remains inactive,thus placing the parts always inposition,,ready for starting the engine, in the manner heretofore descrlbed.

The end 30 of the lever 30, is bifurcated 'ust as the end 30 is bifurcated, each prong 'eing .provided with internally projecting 'lu'gs' or pins 42 and 43, that engage the groove in the sliding collar 37 so that when the collar 37 is slid along the shaft 35, to the left, the clutch member 23 will besimultaneously slid along shaft 18 to the right.

The operation of the device is asfollows:

When the electric current is turned on the dynamo, assumin the englne to be idle, the shaft 18, is imme iately rotated by means of the pinion 27 and the gear wheel 14 onthe shaft 10 is rotated at a relative speed determined by the relative diameters of the When starting the engine said about the time when the engine becomes self 7 

